Telegraph-key.



No. 855.085.- PATENTED MAY 28, 1907. B. F. BBLLoWs. -TELEGRAPH KEY.

APPL10ATI-0N FILED JULY9,1906. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

16,855,085 PATENTED MAY 28, v1907.

B. F. BBLLoWs. TELEGRAPH KEY.

vFLPPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1906. n

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2v Lows'ji'citizen of the United States, residin V rArEroEEifoE. z

I BENJAMIN F. BELLows, 'oF CLEVELAND, oHio.

To alllpuhom t .may concern.

- Be it known' that I, BENJAMiN F. BEL- at Cleveland, inthe county ofCuyahoga. an State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and usefulImproyement in Tele aph-Keys, of which the following is a full, c ear,.and exact description. A

This invention is an improvement in a type telegraph vkeys which formsthe subject matter of the'CoHe Patent N o; 812,183 issued February 13,1906. l

The object of this invention is to simplify and cheaoen the constructionof 'telegraph keys of this type, and to render them more satisfactory inrespect to their practical op.

l eration.

The invention comprises numerous details of construction, and novelcombinations of parts as shown in the drawing and hereinafter described"and claimed'. i

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of an instrumenty embodying theinvention.

.I 2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an end view partly brokenaway. Fig. 1 is a sectional view in theplane indicated byline 4-4 ofFig. 1; ,and Fig. 5 is a sectional view onthe plane indicated by line5-'5 of Fig. 1.

The following is a detailed description of the specific instrument shownin the drawing, which instrument constitutes the best embodiment of theinvention now known to me.

A represents the metallic base plate of the instrument, and B a metallicstandard secured'upon but insulated from said base plate. The outgoingand incoming wires c,

f c are res ectively attached 'to the binding posts C, /,--one of whichis'carriedby the hase plate and the other by said standard.

The vibratory circuit controller D is a me-` l tallic bar, flattened atone end; and this flattened ehd is secured to a vertical metallic post awhich rises from the base plate. The fiattened part of the vibrator .isof spring metalhwherefore when the vibrator'is moved in either directionout of the central position and then released, it will vibrate back andforth past the central position, and eventually come to rest, ifpermitted so to do, in said position. The rapidity of the vibra,- tions,and their durationmay be regulated by-means of a weight d whichV may bemoved endwise upon vthe controller and secured at any desired positionthereon by a set screw d A telegraph keyE is'made of tWO levers eSpecification of LettersPatent.

Application filed Ju1y'9,1l906. SerialvNorSZl.

conical upper end of this pin.

TELEGRAPH-KEY.

Patented May 28, 1907.

presently to 'be described, and for conven# ience will be hereinafterreferred to respec- .tively as the key lever e and finger lever e.

The key lever eis pivoted on a vertical pivot to the base plate. Thespecific construction is the following: A bar F is secured upon the topsofthe standard B and a post a rising l from the base plate. A set screwf, screwing down through this bar F, engages with the conical upper endof a pivot pin H,-`said set screw having in its end a recess to receivethe The lower end of this pin is also made conical, and is seated in acorresponding" recess in the base plate. A clampin plate e is secured bymeans of screws to lie key lever e. The pivot pin H passes between thisclampingv plate and key lever,-the proximate faces of whicharegrooved,-and is firmly clamped4 between them. Secured to `the key levere is a restraining arm G, whose outer end g normally engages with thevibratin controller.

A spring g', which lies between tl is restrain- .ing bar and the posta', exerts continuous pressure upon the bar Gr, by reason of which .saidbar pushes the controller out of its'central position andinto engagementwith an justable by means of a set screw lc. The finger lever e is, asstated, pivoted to the key. lever e, on a vertical axis; and theinsulated finger pieces e2 are secured to the front end of this fingerlever. This finger lever extends rearward past its pivot, and has on itsrear end a small spring e3 carrying a contact e4. A contact b lies closeto 'but normally out of contact with the point Q2-said contact l) beingon the end ofa set'screw b" which is adjustably supported by thestandard B.

v .The form of pivotal connectionbetween the two key members e, e isshown most clearly in Fig. 4. Two balls m m lie between these twomembers in depressions in their opposing faces. A screw N passes looselythrough the key lever e and screws into the finger lever e; and twoballs m( fm', lying in the same vertical plane with the balls fm m, areconfined between the head n of this screw .and the opposing face of thekey lever e.

The hole in the member e, through which the thansaid shank, to permitthe latter to move therein as much as is required. These balls furnishan almostfrictionless pivotal con- IOO shank of the screw N passes, isenoughlarger l nection between the two key members; A

screw e5, which maybe one of the .same

screws which connect the clampingplate es 'with the key lever e, ypassesthrough a wide A contact spring R is fast to the standard B, and it hason its end a contact r, which is opposed to andnormally out of contactwith lthe contact d2 en the controller From the foregoing, it will beunderstood that since all of the parts as shown are metal, the bindinpost C, is electrically connected with all o the parts described, exceptthe v standard B and the parts carried thereby.

It will be Anoted also that the contact r 'and the contact l) arecarriedby'the standard B,

pleted;

which is insulated from the other parts, and, 'as afore stated, carriesthe binding post C. Therefore, if either of the contacts lf2 or e* touchthe opposed-contact points r and l) re spectively, the electricalcircuit is coni- Now, to operate the described device for thetransmission of telegraphic messages, the' operator, taking hold of thefinger key pieces e2, will move them to the left when he desires to senddashes. By such movement the finger leveie is rocked upon its pivotfurnished by the balls, as described, and thereby its rear end is somoved that the contact point e? is carried against the contact point l).This is the movement given to the key when it is desired to transmitdashes in the Morse code;v This movementvef the key to the left doesnot, however, have any efiect upon the other arts of the mechanismdescribed. The key ever e cannot move any further to the leit becausethe restraining lever g, secured'to it, engages with the controller andhas pushed the same as far as possible,that is to say, against theinsulating stop K. lf the operator should new release the linger leverthe spring P. would swing it on the pivots furnished by the balls backto its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, thereby separating the twocontact points e4 and l). lf, new, the operator moves the key to theright, as shown in Fig. l, the result will be to cause the key' lever eto turn upon the vertical pivot pin H. By this movement the restraininglever G is drawn away from the controller,-this movement being limitedby the engagement of said restraining lever with an insulated adjustablecontact point T. When the restraining lever G is withdrawn thecontroller begins to vibrate, with the result of causing the contactpoint d2 to strike contact oint r, thereby completing the circuit. rl hevibrator l) will then swing in the opposite direction and separate saidpoints. These senese movements take place very rapidly, causing a ra idmake and break of the circuit, with the resu t of transmitting dots ofthe Morse code. When a sufficient number of these makes and breaks havebeen eHected through the vibriw tion of the controller D, the key leveris then moved to the left, with theresult oi'lresloring the parts to thepositions shown in Fig. l and sto ping the vibration of the controller.

lilaving described my invention, .l claim: l. In a telegraph key, incombination, :z

contact, a vibrating controller for making and breaking a circuit withsaid contact, restraining .means normally holding said controller in anidle position, additional contacts independent of said controller, apivoted key comprising a key lever for operating said rostraining means,a linger lever pivoted to said key lever and capable el' movingindependently thereof to cause the engagement of the said additionalcontacts, and means whereby the movement of the finger lever in thereverse direction past its neutral position will move the key lever inthe direction to release said restraining means.

` 2. ln a telegraph key, in combination, a vvibrating controller capableol makingand breaking a circuit and carrying a contact, a pivoted keylever, a restraining arm secured thereto and adapted to engage with saidcontroller to holdit in an idle position, a spring carrying a contactopposed to the contact on the controller, a finger lever pivoted tothekey lever and capable of moving in one di-A rection from its neutralposition independently of the key lever, a spring secured to the rearend ofA said linger key lever and carrying a contact, and a `fixedcontact opposed to said contact.

3. In a telegraph key, in combination, a vibrating controller capable ofmaking and lOL.

IOS

breaking a circuit, a ivoted key lever, a restraining arm norma lyengaging said con troller and holding it in an idle" position andadapted te be withdrawn from such engagement by the key lever, a lingerlever plvoted to the key lever on an axis parallel with the axis of thekey lever and extending in both directions from its said pivot andnormally engaging at its rear end with the side of the key lever,independent contacts, of which one is carried by the finger lever, whichcontacts are adapted to be brought together by the movement of thefinger lever upon its pivot. 4. ln a telegraph key, in combination, apivoted key'lever' and a linger key lever, a screw passinglooselythrough a hole in one of said levers and screwing into the other;and balls conined in recessesbetween said members, and other ballsconfined between the head of said screw and the adjacent sur- Alace ofone of sliid key members.

5. ln a telegraphkey, in combination, a piveted key lever and a lingerlever pivoted to said key lever on an axis parallel with the IIO ITS

pivot 'of said key lever, saidl finger lever extendine' on both sides ofits pivot in a direc- 4 tion su stantially parallel with the key lever,"finger ieces secured to the front end of the finger ever and a springyieldingly holdin@ the rear enil of said finger lever in contactt withsaid key lever.

6. In a telegraphkey, in combination, a

ypivoted key lever and a finger lever lying 'side by side, ballsconfined in recesses 4in the ,confined in recesses between said members,

and other balls confined between the head of said screw and the adjacentsurface of one of said key members, and a spring operating -toyieldingly hold said members in contact.

8. In a telegrapli key, 1n combination, Aa

pivoted key lever and a finger lever, a screw passing loosely through ahole 1n one of said levers and screwing into the other, balls confinedin recesses between said members, and other -balls confined between thehead of said screw and the adjacent surface of one of said key members,a spring, operating to yieldingly hold said members in contact, a fixedcontact, a contact'carried by the finger key lever and adapted to becarried against a fixed contact by a movement of the nger key leverindependent of the keyA lever in opposition to said spring.

9. In a telegraph key, the. combination of avibrating controllercarrying a contact, an opposed contact, a spring-actuated restraining`arm engaging said controller, an insulated stop against which saidcontroller is forced by said controller arm., an 'insulated stoplimiting the withdrawing movement of said restraining arm', a keycomprising'a key lever to which said restraining arm is connected, anda/[inger lever pivoted, between its end, tosaid key lever, a contactcarried by said finger lever, at one end thereof, a finger piececonnected with said finger'lever near the other end thereofl and anothercontact secured to aufixture, and against which the last contact pieceis moved by the movement of said finger leverindependent ofthe keylever.

10. In a telegraph key, the combination of a'metallic base plate, astandard B secured to the same but insulated therefrom, a vibratingcontroller, a lrestraining arm normally.

holding the same in an idle position, a key for operatingsaidrestraining arm, a contact carried by said controller, a contact opposedthereto electrically connected with said insulated standard, anothercontact also electrically connected with said insulated standard, and anopposed contact'carriedby said key, a binding post carried by the baseplate, another binding post carried by said standard-the contactscarried by the controller and by the key being electrically connectedvwith the base plate.

11. In a telegraph key, the combination-of a metallic base plate, ametallic post thereon, a vibrating metallic controller secured to saidoted to the base'plate and electrically connected therewith, meansoperated by said key lever for holding the vibrator in an idle position,a finger leverpivoted to said key ever and carrying a contact, an oposed contact electrically connected with) said standard, ka springconnected with said standard and carrying a contact opposed to havinggrooves in their approximate faces,v

which embrace said ivoted post, a linger lever pivoted to said reylever, and a spring l acting `upon the' finger lever to yieldingly holdits rear end against said key lever,

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my Signature in the presence of'two witnesses.

.BENJAMIN F.- BELLOWS. VVitnsses:

W. V0. Corre, E. L. THURsToM post and carrying a contact, a key leverpivy TOO

